D:
Deirdre, what I'm looking for some sort of indication that you're on the right
track. What I do know is that when people, at least for motivation purposes,
they need something fairly soon just some feedback so what I'm looking for is
what are some of the signs...you said in a couple of weeks that you actually felt
better because of the diet.
And
I do hear that regularly from people. I also hear people and I experienced my
stools changed. And it's very common a lot of people with psoriasis are not
having stools regularly every day.� And my stools became more regular and my
skin...people started telling me I had a glow about myself. And I've guess
they've gotten so used to looking at me this way now people don't really say
that anymore.
But
people definitely...I could feel differently. I started losing weight very
quickly even though I wasn't trying to lose weight, in fact, I threw my scale
away. I went down three clothing sizes in the course of
six months and then over the course of seven years now, I've gone down three
clothing sizes without ever trying to lose weight.
So
I would say the things not only experienced myself but what I hear from other
people is you feel better, you start losing weight, your facial complexion...you
may start having a certain glow about yourself. People just notice that you
look different. You have more energy, you sleep better, you handle stress
better...things you generally associate with a healthier lifestyle.
D:
So what was the first sign that people can look forward to that they know
they're on the right track that this diet is working for them?
I
would say that you feel better.
D:
You feel better...as far as the stools changing, does that happen fairly quickly?
Yeah,
that can happen within a couple of weeks, too.
D:
So, generally, people have to be pretty diligent about this for let's say two
or three weeks so that they get some sort of sign and say, �Hey, this is
working. Something's changing and since Deirdre told me that this is what is
going to happen, I know I'm on the right track.�
For
me I was so sick that I was staring at indefinite rounds of chemotherapy. Most
people are not that sick. Most people are not disabled with psoriasis but I was
disabled with psoriasis. I was getting to where I couldn't shake people's
hands. And I couldn't safely drive a car.
So
for someone that's as sick as I was, I would encourage them to know that two to
three weeks isn't nearly enough time. You need to make up your mind. My take is
� up your mind.� Before you do it make up your
mind you're going to give it a concerted effort and commit yourself to a
minimum of three months. This is one thing I've learned in twenty-five years in
professional dietetics. If you tell people to just commit to two to three weeks
and especially people with psoriasis their expectations are going to be too
high. And they're not going to stop.
And
the single most aspect of this diet is that it's sustainable. You need to do
this for a long time. So to tell somebody two to three weeks is entirely
misguided and it's unfair. And so I think realistically the thing to tell
people is that this is a lifestyle change and a lifestyle is not two to three
weeks. You need to commit yourself to three to six months of really doing this.
And
after you get through that period then you can start allowing for more
flexibility and you can establish the degree to which you want to live with
remnant amounts of psoriasis. For instance, in my case, after that six month
period I allowed myself to cheat every day to some degree because I'm willing
to live with a remnant 5-10% psoriasis and not need any prescription
medications.
Other
people they may psychologically-emotionally not be able to deal with any
psoriasis and they may need to do it and be more committed for longer or they
may not need to be as totally committed as I had to be. It's really different
cases are all different. That's what makes this complex.
And
that's why I think it's unfair to tell people �Oh, just give it two to three
weeks.� It's not easy.
D:
What I'm looking for is what is it that after a certain period of time people are saying �I'm on the right track. I need to keep doing
this.� And I realize you've got to go for two or three months. But what is it
that you see immediately. What's the quickest thing you see?
I
think it's pretty safe to say within a month that you should feel different.
And if you have weight to lose, you'll be losing weight. And your stools will
change.